


set a fire in my head.

by seungkwansupremacy



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drug Use, Dysfunctional Relationships, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, Smut, chaos couple on campus, i'm going for a skins uk vibe here, problematic verkwan being in love, seungkwan is a loud obnoxious sexy brat with jealousy issues, they're a mess but they're a mess together, this is gonna be a little fucked up so if that's not your cup of tea please don't read it!, vernon is a popular headstrong rich kid with addiction issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:40:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27916165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seungkwansupremacy/pseuds/seungkwansupremacy
Summary: Boo Seungkwan is well-known on campus for throwing the best parties and the biggest tantrums. His boyfriend, Chwe Hansol, is well-known for being the reason for most of Seungkwan's outbursts. Somehow, they still make it work.
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan & Kim Mingyu, Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon
Comments: 21
Kudos: 80





	1. prologue.

**Author's Note:**

> A few weeks ago my friend [Cherry](https://twitter.com/cherykwan) (who's also my beta) messaged me like "Listen, I have this Verkwan AU idea..." and then this happened. We had a brainstorm moment and I immediately had to think of Skins UK, a show I really used to love.  
> I'll write about a few things I struggled with myself so there'll be some sensitive topics I'll bring up but I'll always put a warning in the notes beforehand. 
> 
> Please enjoy messed up college Verkwan! <3
> 
> [–Playlist to get into the mood for this AU–](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xXK4uW16woJX8fEA4f8Eq?si=jYqOFtlVS5ayjtDh3b0J2g)

The breeze of the November night should've felt cold on Vernon’s arms as he was jogging down the street at nearly 4am in nothing but a half-unbuttoned vaporwave print shirt and ripped skinny jeans but the alcohol in his system kept him from feeling the drop of temperature. It was like he was still engulfed by the muggy, heated air of the house party they had been at for the past few hours.

Seungkwan was a few steps ahead of Vernon, oversized yellow shirt french-tucked into his tight pants, sleeves pulled up to his elbows as he was striding along with his arms crossed, angrily flipping his half-lit cigarette at where he thought Vernon would approximately be walking behind him in the dark. He didn't actually intend on hitting Vernon with it but it felt like something he simply had to do in order not to freak out completely. Seungkwan had nothing else left to throw at Vernon after all.

“Fuck you! Stop following me, you psycho,” Seungkwan’s high-pitched yelling probably woke up half of the neighbourhood but he didn't give a shit. He never did. Most of the people who lived in the dorms around here knew him all too well and were probably already used to his random 4am tantrums on the weekends. Someone across the street closed their windows with a bang without commenting on the scene unfolding in front of their house.

Vernon picked up his pace, scrunching up his nose in annoyance at being called psycho, and grabbed Seungkwan by his upper arm, yanking him around.

“Will you stop being an absolute dickhead? Where are you even going with all your stuff still at Soonyoung’s? Kwannie–”

Vernon couldn't finish speaking. Seungkwan ripped his arm out of Vernon’s grasp and shoved him away as determined as his current state allowed him to be but his movements were wobbly and weak. Realising that made him even angrier.

“It’s Boo Seungkwan for _you_ , Chwe.”

In any other situation, Vernon would've laughed at that because Seungkwan usually only said stupid things like this when he was trying to be cute during one of their playful banters, but this wasn't playful nor just harmless banter right now.

Seungkwan fiddled with the cigarette pack he had pulled out of his pocket, silver rings on his shaky fingers gleaming in the dim streetlight, but before he could pull out another cigarette, Vernon had grabbed the pack from his hands. Seungkwan sent him a death glare.

“How are you going to sing at your college performance next week if you keep smoking ten cigs a night? Think your throat will thank you for that?” Vernon didn't sound angry anymore, and his eyes had softened a little but this escaped Seungkwan.

“You worry about your own shit and quit being so god damn patronising. Ten cigs a night are nothing compared to whatever the fuck you took tonight,” Seungkwan spat out the last few words, before walking straight past Vernon, striding towards Soonyoung’s house because he had to agree that storming off without his phone and wallet and everything else that was in his tiny black handbag hadn’t been his brightest idea.

“Seungkwan. You’re being ridiculous. Hao would never give me any weird shit.”

“Oh, he wouldn't? I’m being ridiculous? Was I being ridiculous when I stood outside the hospital at six in the morning, waiting for you and crying my eyes out?”

“That was over a year ago and you know fully well that Hao hasn't bought anything off that weird kiosk guy ever again.”

Seungkwan’s eye twitched every time their friend’s pet name rolled off so easily from Vernon’s tongue. He tried his hardest to walk in a straight line despite at least five White Russians sloshing around in his belly; stumbling would mean looking stupid and he couldn't have that right now. Strangling Minghao in his sleep one of these days seemed like a tantalising idea, even though deep down Seungkwan knew that his own issues with extreme jealousy and his excessive worrying about Vernon really weren't the poor guy’s fault. Not that Seungkwan cared in his current state.

“Go suck his dick and leave me alone.”

That was enough for Vernon to finally lose his patience and stop trying to reason with Seungkwan. With two big steps, Vernon caught up to the agitated young man who was trying to get away from him, shoving him against a parked car right next to them. Thankfully the black Hyundai was so old and rusty that no car alarm went off but even if it had, Vernon thought that he probably wouldn't have cared much right now.

Seungkwan’s dark eyes widened just a little; the fire in them had still not died down completely but it had changed into something a little less angry and a little more twisted, with the way Vernon’s strong hands grabbed his delicate hips to hold him in place against the side of the stranger’s car. With a little offended gasp Seungkwan raised his head to meet Vernon’s fierce gaze, trying hard to not lose his composure, but it was all for nothing when Vernon leaned in, teeth grazing his ear.

“How about you suck mine instead so you finally shut up.”

The low growl sent shivers through Seungkwan’s body, down right to where Vernon wanted him to be excited. Seungkwan’s vision was swimming from both the alcohol and the arousal mixing in his belly, and no matter how badly he wanted to be a defiant little bitch and once again tell Vernon to fuck off, the twitch in his tight black pants let him know that he'd much rather tell Vernon to _fuck him_.

And Vernon could see it, could read it on his face, from the way Seungkwan’s mouth already opened a little and his glassy eyes darted all over Vernon’s body in a split second. Upon realising he had probably won this stupid argument, at least for tonight, Vernon let out a shaky laugh, releasing his grip on Seungkwan’s hips and shoving one hand in his bright red hair, messing it up completely as he pushed him onto his knees.

“Mmh, you’re so beautiful when you compromise your principles just for a bit of cocksucking,” Vernon hummed as he gazed down at Seungkwan who didn't even react to his teasing; he was already obediently opening his mouth and sticking his tongue out like the good little slut he was. _Fuck_. Vernon groaned at the sight alone and rubbed his tented bulge against Seungkwan’s tongue. The material of the skinny jeans felt rough against it but Seungkwan didn't stop Vernon, making sure not to break eye contact. He could feel Vernon’s dick throb even through his pants.

But instead of unzipping his jeans, Vernon showed at least a little clarity of mind and tugged on Seungkwan’s hair to motion him to get up again.

“Let’s get back to Soonyoung’s place first. Don’t want someone to call the cops on us again.”

Seungkwan grimaced when he thought back to that unfortunate turn of events that had ensued in the park around the corner a few months ago, and just nodded. Vernon grabbed Seungkwan’s hand and gently pulled him along, heading towards the dull sound of music which came from Soonyoung’s party.

When Seungkwan regarded Vernon’s sharp profile, shadows dancing on his face as they passed streetlight after streetlight, he couldn't help but let a quiet sigh escape his lips. He did not believe in God but in moments like these he thought, if there was a God, he could never thank him enough for making Vernon love him despite all his flaws.


	2. reflection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm the slowest writer in the world and my chapters will always be rather short, but... I'm back. Thank you all so, so much for your lovely comments on the prologue!! They got me super excited to continue this. This next chapter is... basically just smut. I promise there'll be more substance in the next one.  
> Until then... thanks again to my lovely beta [Cherry](https://twitter.com/fallenwoozi)!
> 
> [–Playlist to get into the mood for this AU–](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xXK4uW16woJX8fEA4f8Eq?si=jYqOFtlVS5ayjtDh3b0J2g)
> 
> —

The bass of TAEMIN’s  _ Criminal _ was hammering through the crowded apartment Soonyoung shared with his friends Seokmin and Jihoon, and surely the whole block was kept awake with the way Soonyoung loudly sang along to the song while performing on the kitchen counter. Despite the advanced hour, the four tiny rooms were still packed with all kinds of students, some of them impatiently lining up in front of the bathroom that had been occupied for the past ten minutes. But they knew better than to knock. 

  
  


Seungkwan, red bangs messily sticking to his sweaty forehead, was very grateful for Sooyoung’s deafening howling in the kitchen because it drowned out any moans and curses falling from his own mouth. 

  
  


Under normal circumstances, Seungkwan wouldn't have bothered with trying not to be heard as Vernon was fucking into him. Quite the opposite, he  _ liked _ being obnoxiously loud and putting on a show for any poor, involuntary listeners because he was Vernon’s and Vernon was his and he wanted that to be known. But right now, with anger still burning in his chest, his own overwhelming arousal felt like a defeat. 

Seungkwan was embarrassed. And having to see his pathetic reflection in the bathroom mirror only made it worse. Seungkwan didn't know where to look; his shaky hands were holding onto the sides of the low sink, and he was standing on tiptoes, desperately pressing his bare thighs together to create as much friction as possible for Vernon, who lazily let his cock slide back and forth between Seungkwan’s legs. 

  
  


“Good boy,” Vernon cooed in a dark voice, with his lips so close to Seungkwan’s ear it made him tense up. “Look at you, all wet and angry. Pretty,  _ pretty _ princess.” 

  
  


Seungkwan didn't want to look. Stubborn as he was, he let his gaze fall down to the sink, his whole focus on keeping his balance. But within a second, Vernon’s hand was around his neck, fingers pushing up against his chin to angle his face in a way so that he could not  _ not _ look straight into the mirror. 

  
  


“I said  _ look at you _ .”

  
  


And Seungkwan did. His cheeks were velvety red, nose shiny from the sweat and lips swollen from Vernon's dick having mercilessly fucked his willing mouth a few minutes ago. He was an utter mess. The outline of his hard-on was clearly visible in his black bikini briefs, wet spot slowly spreading through the fabric. One of Vernon's hands was deliberately moving up his thigh, brushing over where Seungkwan’s underwear was straining against his throbbing member. It nearly made Seungkwan lose his footing with how strongly his legs began trembling under the touch. 

  
  


“My God, you're so desperate.” Vernon kissed Seungkwan’s nape, letting his teeth graze over the soft skin, then biting him without a warning. A pained whimper fell from Seungkwan’s lips and for a moment his and Vernon’s eyes met in the mirror, both pairs dark with lust and rage. 

  
  


Silver strands of hair were falling into Vernon’s face, and he looked downright frightening with his intense gaze and the way he let his hips jerk forward like he wanted to prove a point, cock sliding up against Seungkwan’s member, red and angry. 

  
  


“Does this make you hot?,” Vernon whispered dangerously and pulled down Seungkwan's underwear just enough for his leaking dick to spring free. “Does it make you hot to see yourself so utterly desperate, you crazy little bitch?” 

  
  


Vernon’s hand was big enough to enclose both of their erections, and press them together; the heat of the sensation was entirely too much for Seungkwan. His mouth fell open but he couldn't reply. He just stared at their reflection, mortified as he saw how his shiny precum dribbled onto Vernon’s length. He really was desperate and it felt so degrading and arousing and  _ infuriating _ .

  
  


Vernon sloppily jerked them off while sucking and nibbling on the skin of Seungkwan’s shoulders, never once taking his eyes off the mirror in front of them. Seeing his arrogant boyfriend like this, moaning and panting and trying so hard  _ not to _ , made his dick twitch violently against Seungkwan’s.

  
  


Seungkwan, who always took control and bossed people around and sneered at anyone who had the audacity to not do as he wished, turning into such a  _ wimp _ at the hands of Vernon; a delicious sight. 

  
  


“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not gonna fuck your slutty little hole tonight, princess. You don't deserve it after all the trouble you gave me.”

  
  


Vernon’s husky voice alone would've probably been enough to push Seungkwan over the edge, but on top of that he started fucking his thighs again, his hand still in place so that their wet cocks were rubbing up against each other with every thrust. 

  
  


Seungkwan’s vision swam. His nails scraped over the cold ceramic of the sink in a frantic attempt to stop himself from crashing into the mirror. For a moment, he let his eyes flutter shut to fully give in to the sensations surrounding him, and when he opened them again, he saw Vernon shooting string after string of hot, thick cum all over his reflection. Seungkwan felt his muscles tense up, his thighs tremble, and he couldn't help a choked up moan escaping his lips as he came as well. The heat rushing through his body blurred everything around him.

  
  


When Seungkwan regained his senses, he looked up to see their cum mixing on the bathroom mirror, thickly trickling down onto the tap. Disgraceful. 

  
  


“Jihoon is going to have a stroke,” Seungkwan commented, unfazed, before stepping away from the sink and wiping his dick and thighs clean with some toilet paper. When he was done, he tossed the roll over to Vernon and clicked his tongue. 

  
  


“You clean it up. We made double the mess because you were too proud to cum in my ass.”

  
  


Vernon shot him an unamused glance but didn't protest. He simply got to work and dressed once the bathroom sink and mirror looked acceptable again.  _ Somewhat _ acceptable. There were dirty streaks still clearly visible from where Vernon had just wiped over the surface with dry toilet paper but he couldn't be bothered to look around for a glass cleaner in his current state. 

  
  


“Could be leftovers from toothpaste, right,” Vernon said, more to himself than to Seungkwan, who was already halfway out of the door after neatly tucking the front of his shirt into his pants and rearranging his hair with skilled fingers. 

  
  


Almost six people nearly fell into the bathroom at once when Seungkwan opened the door and the young man just raised a cocky eyebrow at them. When one of the students tried to speak up, Seungkwan pressed an index finger against the boy's lips to shut him up immediately. 

  
  


“I know at least half of you live in this same building. Go take a piss in your own bathroom if it's so urgent.” 

  
  


With a quick shake of his head, because he felt like his red bangs still didn't look flawless, Seungkwan walked past their audience and stepped into the kitchen. He tried to come off as self-assured and aloof, not turning back to see if Vernon followed him, but his lips turned into a thin line when he saw his boyfriend walk over to the living room from the corner of his eyes. 

  
  


Vernon plunged down on the sofa right next to Minghao, letting his head fall back against the black cushions and closing his eyes. The intense smell of weed and beer filled his nostrils and for a moment he thought he was going to be sick. 

  
  


“Welcome back,” Minghao deadpanned and took another drag off his spliff, “Where's your other half?”

  
  


“Oh, he came back, too, no worries. Off to bother Soonyoung probably. Also I feel like someone has ripped you off again. I took that pill you gave me like two hours ago and nothing fucking happened.” Vernon exhaled slowly and opened one eye when he realised Minghao wasn't responding but was simply staring down at him instead. “What? You really worried about Seungkwan? He’s alright. He’s just… crazy.”

  
  


Minghao’s unreadable expression didn't change. He passed the joint to Vernon before speaking.

  
  


“He loves you.”

  
  


Vernon let his gaze wander through the room with no particular destination, shuffled around a little uncomfortably, then put the joint between his lips. “I know,” he just said. Took a drag. Blew the smoke up to the ceiling. Sighed.

  
  


“You’re an asshole.” 

  
  


“I know,” Vernon said again.


	3. obstacles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...thank you for your everlasting patience. I read through the comments I got on the previous chapters again and that gave me the boost to finally finish this third chapter, thank you so much for all your lovely words! I'm happy people enjoy this AU, even though it can probably be kind of uncomfortable to read at times. lol  
> This time the focus is more on introducing the other characters (and there'll of course be more to come in the future) and their specific dynamics. Also, the story was initially set in January but I edited that out of the first chapter and changed it to November, you'll see why.  
> Vernon... is awkward and comes across a little antagonistic here but I swear he's not a bad dude. I love him dearly, even in this AU.  
>   
> As always, thanks to my beta [Cherry](https://twitter.com/cherykwan)!  
>    
> [–Playlist for this AU–](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xXK4uW16woJX8fEA4f8Eq?si=jYqOFtlVS5ayjtDh3b0J2g)
> 
> —

It wasn't like Seungkwan had specifically wanted to go to Soonyoung’s party that night. In fact, it wasn't even really Soonyoung’s party to begin with, he just had a way of making everything about himself. Sometimes people completely forgot that he was actually sharing this apartment with two other people and the bush telegraph always just said “get-together at Soonyoung’s later” whenever there was another party coming up. So, Seungkwan hadn't specifically wanted to go to _Soonyoung’s_ party but there was a reason he had been here for the past seven hours.

  
  


Seungkwan’s eyes scanned the crowded kitchen until he found his object of interest sitting on the floor, squeezed in between a chair full of half-empty beer and wine bottles and an obviously passed out, unrecognisable person just lying there, face first. 

  
  


“Jihoonie”, Seungkwan cooed in a voice dripping of toxic honey. A voice despised by the young man who was balancing a paper plate with a piece of cheap cake on his knees. Jihoon kept chewing on a stale strawberry and attempted to not look at Seungkwan directly, as if trying to avoid the gaze of a hungry predator.

  
  


“So glad you're back, was starting to worry that people finally left this party”, he responded monotonously as he scooped a bit more of the sponge cake into his mouth.

  
  


“I wouldn't dare leave your birthday party before the sun has a chance to rise, you know that!” Seungkwan carelessly shoved the chair out of the way and gracefully planted himself next to Jihoon on the floor, stretching out his legs and then, without a warning, placing a wet kiss on his friend’s left cheek and draping an arm around his shoulders. Jihoon shuddered and squeezed his eyes shut for a second before passing the paper plate over to Seungkwan.

  
  


“Enjoy the rest of the cake, I’m suddenly not hungry anymore. Don't even wanna know where that mouth of yours was a few minutes ago.”

  
  


“Oh, don't worry, I didn’t suck Vernon’s dick, that bastard didn't deserve it tonight”, Seungkwan cheerfully chirped like he didn't tell an obvious lie. He took Jihoon’s spoon and began picking the rest of the cake apart, only eating the parts that didn’t have excessive amounts of cream on them, “But let’s not talk about him, it's _your_ night after all. How’s your birthday been up until now?”

  
  


Jihoon looked up at the kitchen counter and watched Soonyoung kick pieces of cutlery off of it with his erratic dance moves. “Not sure. There’s a drunk, loud man dancing on my furniture and destroying kitchenware I paid for as he’s being cheered on by a bunch of strangers I’ve never seen before. So, pretty much exactly like my two birthdays before this one?”

  
  


Seungkwan put the paper plate next to all the half-empty bottles on the chair and for a second, he was really glad he would probably not be here anymore for the cleanup the next day. He let his head fall onto Jihoon’s shoulder and pulled him a little closer. 

  
  


“Why don't you plan your own birthday parties? If you don't like the way these big parties play out, let's just go out for dinner next year or whatever you would enjoy.” Seungkwan looked up at Jihoon who was still watching Soonyoung dance and sing, a little smirk now visible on his face.

“Nah, I don’t mind. Really. I actually prefer these big parties where I can just eat my birthday cake on the floor of my kitchen and not be perceived by anyone because there's a drunk, loud man dancing on my furniture.”

  
  


Seungkwan now had to grin at this, too, and let his eyes travel to the dancing crowd in front of the kitchen counter. He cuddled up to Jihoon a little more, one arm loosely hanging around Jihoon’s waist and the other resting on top of his crossed legs. Jihoon let him; because he knew exactly that Seungkwan had been lying about Vernon before. Everyone knew that he had been locked up in the bathroom with Vernon for like half an hour. And their argument before that didn't go unnoticed either. So Jihoon decided to just grant Seungkwan some warmth and the presence of a person who didn't ask stupid questions. 

The comfortable silence between them didn't last long though.

  
  


“God. Will Soonyoung please stop screaming”, Seokmin croaked out and raised his face off of the floor, one eye still shut and the other barely open. 

  
  


“Oh, it's _you_ ”, Seungkwan said in surprise when he looked over at the previously unrecognisable, presumed corpse.

  
  


Jihoon raised an eyebrow. “Do you think I would just sit down on the floor next to a blacked out rando to eat my cake?”

  
  


“...right.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


The clock on Vernon’s phone told him that it was 5:02am and he nearly pushed it back into the pocket of his jeans before realising that he had two missed calls and half a dozen unread KKT messages from Hyunwoo. A single eyebrow raised, he quickly scrolled through the chat of him and his classmate, visibly getting more restless with every word he read. 

  
  


_hyunwoo (sociology) 4:54am:_

_uhhh haha chuckles i’m in danger dot jpeg but the twist is that it's not me for once but u_

_hyunwoo (sociology) 4:54am:_

_ok so since u r not gonna pick up my calls i can just say that's on u and i’m sorry but i did my best_

_hyunwoo (sociology) 4:55am:_

_soooooo remember a week ago when u told me to notify u whenever i spot that guy u hate anywhere near ur boyfriend! ^_^_

_hyunwoo (sociology) 4:56am:_

_prrrrettttty sure i saw him enter the apartment like three minutes ago_

_hyunwoo (sociology) 4:56am:_

_not sure if u guys are even here anymore bc i haven't seen u in an hour but if u are! good luck hugs and kissies_

  
  


Vernon’s expression was now uncomfortable to look at and Minghao didn't even have to take a glance at his phone display to guess what was happening. There was only one man in all of Seoul that could make Vernon lose his cool within just a few seconds, not even having to be in the same room as him. Minghao grabbed Vernon’s wrist tightly just as his friend jolted up from the couch.

  
  


“Don’t,” Minghao hissed up at him with a stern look on his face, “Please remember that this is Jihoon’s party after all and _all_ of his friends are allowed to be there just as much as you are. Don’t throw a hissy fit on Jihoon’s birthday.”

  
  


Vernon clenched and unclenched his fist, then turned to Minghao and shrugged as if he didn't have a care in the world.

  
  


“Sure,” he stated in a calm tone, “But I’m also allowed to go look for my boyfriend and see what he's been up to.”

  
  


There was a scoff that turned into a hollow laugh and Minghao let go of Vernon’s wrist, guiding the spliff to his lips and taking a hit. He didn't feel the need to try to intervene any more than that, knowing that it was a fruitless endeavor. With his left hand, he gave a lax wave as if to shoo Vernon away.

  
  


“Go on,” Minghao growled in an unusually low voice and exhaled, “Do your duty.” 

  
  


Vernon rolled his eyes. “No one quotes _Game of Thrones_ anymore.”

  
  


A smirk appeared on Minghao’s face. “The fact you immediately understood the reference is good enough for me. Nerd.”

* * *

Seungkwan had nearly forgotten how horrible he had felt just a little over an hour ago now that he was sharing quite a few laughs with Seokmin, Jihoon and also Soonyoung, who had joined them on the floor after he had tripped and fallen off the kitchen counter. Thankfully he was too drunk to feel much pain from the impact.

  
  


“Can’t believe none of you assholes got that on video,” Soonyoung winced a little as he poked his right arm where bruises were definitely going to be blooming in the next few hours, “Kwan-ah, you record _everything_ just in case you catch a fun ‘impromptu’ moment for your stupid TikTok, yet when I perform so passionately for Jihoon’s birthday you suddenly don't know how to use your phone anymore? I won't forgive that.”

  
  


Seungkwan chuckled, feeling a bit lightheaded from the wine he was drinking out of a plastic cup that had a name written on it and was definitely not his. Usually, he didn't just drink from random cups he spotted in close proximity, but this night he had already reached the point of not caring about much at all. In response to Soonyoung’s complaint, Seungkwan fished his phone out of his black clutch to show his friends the latest TikTok challenge he had taken part in, that none of them had found even remotely funny but had gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback nonetheless. His eyes skimmed over his display, a picture of a half-naked Hansol stepping out of the bathroom and rubbing his silver blonde hair dry with a towel barely visible under the notifications of the past hour.

  
  


_Mangyu~ 🥭💖 4:02am:_

_Sorry I didn't pick up, I was asleep. Are you still at Jihoon’s?_

_Mangyu~ 🥭💖 04:02am:_

_I’m so sorry to hear Hansol’s been an ass again. I told you not to go to this party though. ㅜ_ㅜ There’s a reason I’m gonna celebrate Jihoon’s birthday by just going to the cinema with him._

_Mangyu~ 🥭💖 04:08am:_

_Seungkwannie?_

_Mangyu~ 🥭💖 04:15am:_

_If you don't reply within the next fifteen minutes I’m gonna come pick you up._

  
  


Seungkwan sucked his lower lip in and quickly compared the timestamps of Mingyu’s messages with the actual time. 5:05am. _Shit_. He had completely forgotten that he had called and texted Mingyu out of desperation earlier, after he had dramatically stormed out of the building, telling his friend to pick him up and get him home. All because he had been so sure that Vernon would be completely out of it within a few minutes of taking that mysterious pill with Minghao. 

  
  


Before Seungkwan could think about how to best navigate this situation, Mingyu had already found them. A warm, welcoming choir of “Kim Mingyu!” erupted from his friends as he entered the kitchen. Mingyu had a quite serious case of bed hair going on but looked as handsome as ever. Dark brown strands of hair stuck up at the back and his fringe was pushed back. He was wearing a simple black shirt and sweatpants, and Seungkwan knew that this was actually his full PJ attire. Without wanting to, Seungkwan couldn't help but smile at the thought of Mingyu swooping out of bed in the early morning hours on a Monday, only putting on his sneakers and getting in the car simply to get Seungkwan home from a party he advised him not to attend in the first place.

  
  


“Happy Birthday! Surpriseee,” Mingyu hummed happily as he approached Jihoon, who was still sitting on the floor, and bent down to give him a tight hug. His knees cracked audibly as he did so. “Sorry. I’m getting old, too. Plus, I literally just got out of bed.”

  
  


“Yeah, old man, I appreciate the little surprise but why did you decide to come after all?” Jihoon pushed himself up to his feet and didn't have to wait for an answer because Seungkwan was shyly raising his hand, a look on his face that was a mixture of mischievousness and shame. 

  
  


“Because of me,” Seungkwan admitted, “I asked him to get me home earlier because I assumed Vernon wouldn’t be in the right state of mind to leave the party with me.”

  
  


At that, Soonyoung and Seokmin exchanged a telling glance and had one of their infamous telepathic conversations, including cryptic twitches of their mouths and excessive squinting that no one else in the room could possibly read. In the end, it was Seokmin who seemingly lost the silent argument and dared to speak up. 

  
  


“I'm gonna go find Vernon and spread the happy news to him.”

  
  


Seungkwan mouthed a _Thank You_ at Seokmin and let Mingyu pull him off the floor, mentally bracing himself for the scene that was possibly about to unfold. 

  
  


Seokmin got off the floor as well but as quickly as he stood up, as quickly he sat down again, a drawled out “Ooookay” on his lips as he caught a glimpse of Vernon who had just entered the kitchen. Soonyoung gave Seokmin a thumbs up and a reaffirming nod anyway; after all, he had tried to be proactive in the face of disaster. 

  
  


Vernon’s eyebrows drew into a flat line as he spotted the bright red mane of Seungkwan with ease, and next to him — Kim Mingyu. The sight of them alone let anger bubble up in Vernon’s stomach; Mingyu’s face was relaxed and Seungkwan’s face was the exact opposite, it looked like he was trying to hide behind the tall frame of his ex-boyfriend. For Vernon, this was already confirmation enough that Mingyu didn’t decide to show up of his own accord and had been, _yet again_ , summoned by Seungkwan. The words of Minghao echoed at the back of Vernon’s head as he walked towards his boyfriend, trying to completely blank Mingyu out. 

  
  


“It’s pretty late,” he said, speaking like he had rehearsed this for a poem recital during high school, “We should go home. Do you wanna crash at my place?”

It was uncomfortable to watch for their friends scattered around them and Jihoon was quick to respond as to not let an awkward silence follow, even though Vernon hadn’t even looked at him once.

  
  


“Actually, we were all just talking about how I wished you all had left two hours ago, so personally, I think that’s a great idea. And since over half the people still here have been invited by you,” Jihoon pointed at Soonyoung, who was trying to occupy himself with stacking up empty plastic cups, any cup he could reach, “I feel like it'd only be fair if you start clearing out our apartment. _Now._ ”

  
  


The tone in Jihoon’s voice made Soonyoung hurriedly stand up, kicking over his little tower of stacked cups in the process. A nervous grin plastered on his face, Soonyoung clicked his fingers and let out a loud “Alright, so!” before fleeing the scene and telling everyone he passed that the fun times were over and grandpa Jihoon needed his beauty sleep. 

  
  


Seungkwan was following Soonyoung with his eyes until his friend had left the room and then looked back up at Vernon, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, Mingyu made that decision for him.

  
  


“Hey, Hansol,” Mingyu said in a friendly but firm tone, “I think Seungkwan is going to go back to his own place today. He asked me to drive him home. I can give you a lift, too?”

  
  


Vernon hated being called Hansol by Mingyu. And Mingyu _always_ called him Hansol. It wasn't as if he couldn’t stand his name, not at all. But Vernon was a name he had chosen for himself, with history behind it, so it was very dear to his heart, and Kim Mingyu, out of all people, decisively only ever calling him Hansol felt like a perfidious form of disrespect. Vernon tilted his chin upwards slightly and gave Mingyu a wide grin. 

  
  


“Hey. That’s so sweet of you but I asked my boyfriend.” 

  
  


The atmosphere had turned icy in just a matter of seconds but Seungkwan, for once, wasn't in the mood to make a scene. He was tired, felt slightly nauseous from all the alcohol and just wanted to crash on his bed and not think for a few hours. In all honesty, he was pretty surprised that Vernon still seemed relatively sober and unaffected by whatever he took with Minghao earlier, but Seungkwan’s anger about how the whole situation had gone down was still there.

  
  


If there was one thing Seungkwan hated more than not being taken seriously, it was being lied to, and Vernon had done both in just under an hour after arriving at the party. First, he had ignored Seungkwan’s plea not to get high on amphetamines _for once_ , then he had tried lying about it later on. Good thing Minghao had long sworn not to get involved in Vernon’s and Seungkwan’s quarrels, so whenever Seungkwan would ask him anything about Vernon, Minghao simply told the truth and let the both of them fight it out far away from him.

  
  


Seungkwan faced his boyfriend, hip resting against the kitchen counter behind him. 

“Nothing to add, actually,” he said in response to Vernon, crossing his arms and giving him a challenging glare, “I have classes in the evening and still have stuff to do at home before that.”

  
  


Vernon’s grin faltered only a little, the change in his expression wasn't really visible to anyone but Seungkwan.

  
  


“Alright. Then let me walk you home.”

  
  


“Hey, that's so sweet of you,” Seungkwan chirped just as pleasantly fake as Vernon had done before, “but I’m really fucking exhausted after how rough you were with me earlier and don't feel like walking home an hour at this time of night.”

  
  


Actually, maybe Seungkwan _did_ want to make a scene after all. Just a small one. For good measure. Because he still felt like Vernon deserved that. And Vernon fell for it every single time. 

  
  


“Oh, you wanna play this game now?” Vernon took a step closer to Seungkwan, who didn't budge. “After you _begged_ me to fuck your mouth and ‘not hold back’? You really wanna go there?”

  
  


Seungkwan didn’t look impressed in the slightest but Mingyu closed his eyes in a fruitless attempt to clear his mind and get rid of the mental images being forced upon him just now. When he opened them again, he saw Jihoon pull a face and wipe his left cheek, muttering something under his breath. Sure, Jihoon knew that Seungkwan had lied about not blowing Vernon tonight when he had received the chaste kiss on the cheek an hour ago. It still felt dirty.

  
  


Out of all the people affected by the scene unfolding in front of them, it was Seokmin who decided to not let this go on any further. He courageously stepped between Vernon and Seungkwan and gave both of them a stern look. As stern as he could muster. 

  
  


“ _We_ don't wanna go there and it’s our apartment so I politely ask you two to sort this out where no one else has to listen to it.” The aforementioned stern glare turned into Seokmin’s signature puppy dog look within seconds. “You know I love you but I really can't stomach when you fight and you know that, too.”

  
  


Seungkwan put a hand on Seokmin’s back for a brief moment, said “Sorry” quietly, then linked arms with Mingyu to signal that he had made up his mind and was ready to head out. 

  
  


“I’ll text you when I wake up! Cinema at 6,” was all Mingyu could say to Jihoon before being dragged out of the apartment by a visibly shaking Seungkwan. Without looking back, Seungkwan said goodbye to the rest of the friends they passed as they left for the staircase. His fingers were digging into Mingyu’s upper arm and he let out a frustrated sob the moment the fresh air outside of the building entered his lungs. 

  
  


“I hate him. I hate him.” Seungkwan did not try to hold back the hot tears anymore and once he sat down in the passenger seat of Mingyu’s car and heard the door on the driver’s side click shut, he was fully weeping. “I _really_ hate him.”

  
  


“You don’t,” Mingyu said in a gentle voice, bringing the car engine to life and pulling out of the parking space with ease, one hand on the wheel and the other on Seungkwan’s thigh, “and that’s sadly why this won't be the last time you'll be crying in my car.”


End file.
